If you don't think Google and Amazon have much impact on your life, you may not realize what's going on. For example, major food brands like General Mills and Conagra are not necessarily the big dogs now as marketing is tied to search results.
NYU professor Scott Galloway says shoppers don't care as much about big name brands.
"The percentage of consumers who can name a favorite brand has declined dramatically as product research moves online; people aren't searching for brands but for ingredients and benefits."
Galloway says this is why search is king.
"Your favorite brand? Whatever Google or Amazon tells you is your favorite brand at that moment."
Galloway says many consumers search for ingredients rather than brand names because they think it's healthier.
"Art Naturals, a skin care brand you likely haven't heard of, leverages this trend and out performs Olay on Amazon by optimizing for popular ingredient searches. 51% of smart phone users have discovered new companies or products through search."
The Food Marketing Institute says 23% of American households bought groceries online last year, up from 19% in 2014.